(Epic Economist)—Over the past four years, many of us have had the unpleasant surprise of learning that our go-to restaurant, coffee shop, or fast food joint was closing doors for good. Thousands of well-established companies have gone out of business since the pandemic accelerated the descent of the U.S. economy, and conditions have been particularly tough in the restaurant industry. Even during the best of times, managing a restaurant comes with plenty of uncertainty. Though a brand can be incredibly popular amongst consumers, there’s a variety of factors that can result in mass closings, and in some cases, bankruptcy.
We tend to think that the biggest restaurant chains in America are better prepared to handle these challenges, but the truth is that many of them are, in fact, more exposed to financial problems due to their enormous expenses and extensive brick-and-mortar footprint.
Both inflation and deflation can cause drastic changes in consumer behavior, leading to lost sales and rendering some locations regrettably unprofitable. On top of that, something most people do not know is that, despite being backed by huge corporate entities, lots of restaurants have been struggling to stay afloat for quite a long time, and recent developments have just been the last straw for them.
That’s why a considerable number of chains is closing multiple locations right now. While for some this is goodbye forever, for others, the closings are necessary to restore the health of their business. Executives are citing issues like underperformance and slowing foot traffic, as well as broader concerns about the strength of the American buying power over the long run, as some of the reasons behind the latest closures. Meanwhile, other companies are simply shuttering locations suddenly and without warning, leaving customers and even employees wondering what went wrong.
Here’s the list:
- Cracker Barrel
- Applebee’s
- TGI Friday’s
- Denny’s
- Boston Market
- MOD Pizza
- Hooters
- Carrabba’s Italian Grill
- Hardee’s
- Tijuana Flats
- Noodles & Company
- Krystal
- White Castle
- Bagger Dave’s
- Chili’s
Independent Journalism Is Dying
Ever since President Trump’s miraculous victory, we’ve heard an incessant drumbeat about how legacy media is dying. This is true. The people have awakened to the reality that they’re being lied to by the self-proclaimed “Arbiters of Truth” for the sake of political expediency, corporate self-protection, and globalist ambitions.
But even as independent journalism rises to fill the void left by legacy media, there is still a huge challenge. Those at the top of independent media like Joe Rogan, Dan Bongino, and Tucker Carlson are thriving and rightly so. They have earned their audience and the financial rewards that come from it. They’ve taken risks and worked hard to get to where they are.
For “the rest of us,” legacy media and their proxies are making it exceptionally difficult to survive, let alone thrive. They still have a stranglehold over the “fact checkers” who have a dramatic impact on readership and viewership. YouTube, Facebook, and Google still stifle us. The freer speech platforms like Rumble and 𝕏 can only reward so many of their popular content creators. For independent journalists on the outside looking in, our only recourse is to rely on affiliates and sponsors.
But even as it seems nearly impossible to make a living, there are blessings that should not be disregarded. By highlighting strong sponsors who share our America First worldview, we have been able to make lifelong connections and even a bit of revenue to help us along. This is why we enjoy symbiotic relationships with companies like MyPillow, Jase Medical, and Promised Grounds. We help them with our recommendations and they reward us with money when our audience buys from them.
The same can be said about our preparedness sponsor, Prepper All-Naturals. Their long-term storage beef has a 25-year shelf life and is made with one ingredient: All-American Beef.
Even our faith-driven precious metals sponsor helps us tremendously while also helping Americans protect their life’s savings. We are blessed to work with them.
Independent media is the future. In many ways, that future is already here. While the phrase, “the more the merrier,” does not apply to this business because there are still some bad actors in the independent media field, there are many great ones that do not get nearly enough attention. We hope to change that one content creator at a time.
Thank you and God Bless,
JD Rucker
Our “booming” economy. Sure, sure. Trump 2024! America First! ULTRAMAGA!
Don’t forget the rise of crime from the 13%.
The world is ending, buy my stuff.
Even though they won’t say, I’m sure you’ll find the vast majority of these closings is due to rampant crime.
Among the primary reasons: Low sales due to economic squeeze on customers, rising costs, declining profit for owners, declining quality further driving down demand, insufficient and unmotivated staff, increasing crime.
Another doomer vid. Buy them goldz.